Street or station indicator.



R. E. HORNBEGK.

' STREET 0R STATION INDIOATbR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.26, 1910.

1,039,746. Patented Oct. 1,1912.

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R, E. HORNBEGK. STREET 0R STATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 1910.

Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

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RICHARD E. HOBNBECK, OF RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA.

STREET "R, STATION INDICATOR.

' specification .01 Letters Patent. 1pp11cation filed January as, 1910.Serial No. 540,159;

Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

- clear, and exact description; reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to improvements in street or station indicators,the object of my invention being to construct an indicator especiallydesigned for use in passenger coaches and arranged to be suspended fromthe ceiling of the coach at a point visible throughout the greaterportion of the coach. The indicator as designed is constructed of aminimum of parts and is arranged to be actuated, either manually orautomatically.

For the above purposes my invention consists in certain features ofconstruction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, pointed out in the claim and illustrated by the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a face View of the complete indicator showin in section aportion of the car with one o the indicating cards extend ed from thecasing;.Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the complete indicator; Fig. 3 isa sectional elevation taken appwximately on a line immediately insidethe left hand wall; Fig. 4 is a vertical, sectional elevation takenapproximately on the line -4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fraginental view illustrating a 1' portion of the casing anda portion of one of the disks which carries the cards; and Fig. 6 is avertical, sectional elevation taken approximately on theline 6-6 of Fig..4.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings: 1 designates thecasing which A is preferably formed rectangular and is provided with arounded bottom 2.

3 designates the door of the casing the lower end of which is .roundedand corresponds in shape with the-rounded bottom 2. Portions of themeeting edges of the bottom 2 and door 3 areremoved forming a slot 1.

5 designate perforated ears which areformed on or fixed to the bottomportion 2 and 6 designate corresponding perforated ears which are formedon or fixed to the door 3, said ears alining with each other'andarranged to be secured together by means of the threadedbolts 7 andwinged nuts 8.

9 designates a shaft which is supported in the end walls of the casingand 10 designates a sleeve which embraces the shaft 9, which sleeveextends the full length of the shaft inside of the casing and whichsleeve is secured to the-shaft against rotation by the set screw 11. 7

12 designate disks which are mounted upon the sleeve 10 and securedthereto against rotation relative to the sleeve. The

series of radial channels 13. The disks and channels are preferablyformed by casting, there being upon theinner faces of each disk a seriesof radially disposed wedge-shaped lribs which form the channels 13.

l 14 designate the cards bearing the matter gto be dis layed, whichcards are arranged to glue held etween the oppositely faced disks 12 andinserted in the channels 13 and be @free to move in said channels. Thedisplay cards 14: are preferably constructed of light ';sheet metaland-each card, at its one side margin, is .crimped to embrace a rod 15which rod projects laterally and thence in a plane parallel with theface of the disk and terminates at each end in a hook 16.

Secured. to the rear wall of the casing, at a ,point adjacent therounded bottom 2, is a Epair of hangers 17 upon which are pivotallysuspended the card elevating-rods 18, the outer free ends of which arecurved upiwardly and terminate in hooks 19.

20 designates a shaft which is rotatably mounted in the bearings 21adjacent the upper wall of the casing and in proximity to the rear wallof the casing. At the approximate center of the shaft 20 is the lever 22and secured to the free endof the lever 22 any suitable actuatingmechanism (not shown). Non-rotatably secured to the shaft 20 are thearms 24 which are positioned verftically alining with the hangers 17,and carried by the outer free ends of the arms 24 are the rods25 whichconnect the arms 24 with the elevating-rods 18. The r0ds25 are eachprovided with a spring 26 for purposes the elevating-rods 18. Embracingthe sleeve 10, at a point between the left hand wall of the casing andthe left hand disk 12, is a of cushioning the descent of the cardsupondisks are provided on'their inside faces with is a rope or cable 23which connects with gear wheel 27 the teeth. of which are prefertheshaft 29.

ably the same number as the channels 13. Meshing with the gear wheel 27is a gear wheel 28 which is mounted upon the stubshaft 29 secured to theleft hand wall of the casing. I Embracing the stub-shaft 29 is theratchet wheel 30 secured to the gear wheel 28'by means of the rivets orbolts .31. The number of teeth or pointsupon the ratchet wheel 30 are'p'reierably the, same as the v teeth upon the wheel 28.

provided with a notch 38 on its lower face adjacent the point where itis pivotally secured to the link 33.

Located in the left hand end wall of the casing are the bell cranks 39and 40 and secured to the bell cranks on the outside of the casing arethe cranks 41 and 452, the crank 41 being for the purpose of operatingthe bell crank 39 to position the detent 35 into or out of engagementwith the ratchet wheel 30 and the crank arm 42 being for the purpose ofoperating the bell crank. 40 to move the detent 36 into or out ofengagement with the ratchet wheel 30. )arried by the left hand "arm 24:and on the face thereof toward the left hand wall of the casing, is apin 4E3 which pin is arranged for engagement with.the arm 32 forpurposes hereinaftermade clear.

It, for any reason, the disk operating-devices become temporarilyderanged, I have provided the crank 44 which is secured directly to theshaft 9 which supports the disks.--By a manipulation of the crank 44 thedisks 12 and cards carried thereby may be rotated withoutemploying theactuating shaft 20, the arrangement of the hooks carried by the cardsrelative to the rod 18 being such as to permit-a. complete rotation ofthe disks and cards, if desired, for purposes of positioning the carddesired to aline with the opening in the casir'ig.

. In practical operation the indicator is suspended in any suitablemanner at a point in a passenger coach or other public place, it

being assumed that the cards, having thereon the matter to be dis layed,areproperly positioned, together with the rods to which they are securedin the channels onthe inner faces of the disks 12 with the hooks on thesaid rods being in positions to engage with the rods 1.8. As shown inthedrawings, one of the cards is normally extended through the slot in thebottom of thelcasing and-suspends from the rods and hooks over the rods18. When it is desired to change the cards, that is withdraw thedisplayed card and display a. second card, the rbpe or cable 23 ismanipulated either manually or by some automatic means (not shown) andthe shaft 20 is partially rotated by means of the lever 22. This partialrotation of the shaft 20v impartsa rocking movement to the arms 24,andby reason of the connection between the tree ends 'otthe arms 24, therod 18 is elevated to a position as shown in Fig. 6, thus elevating thecard which was displayed to a position with its lower end, in a planeabove'the inner face ot the rounded bottom of the casing, that is in aposition above the slot in the casing. By reason of the pin 4E3 which ispositioned upon the arm 24, the arm 32 is elevated, it being understoodthat the movements of the arm 24t'and arm 32 are synchronous. By reasonof the moving of the arm 32, the link 33 carrying-the detents 35. and36, is elevated, the elevation of the link, by reason'of the slot formedtherein, in

no wise effects the positions of the ratchet wheel 30 and gear wheel 28relative to the gear wheel 27. By reason'of the movement of one of thedetents the ratchet wheel is "rotated, thus imparting motion to the gearwheel 27 through the medium of the wheel 28, in this manner, by reasonof the gear wheel 27 being connected to the sleeve 10 the disks 12 arepartially rotated to a position alining a second card-over the slot inthe casing, there being nothing to oppose the downward movement of thecard it will descend, by gravity, until the hooked ends of its rod willengage with the rod 18. As pressure is raised from the operating cable23 the lever 22 and arms 24 will descend, by

, gravity, thus permitting the'rod 18 and the card carried thereby todescend thereby displaying a second card. By the arrangement of the bellcrank levers 39 and 4:0 and the cranks 41 and 42 the direction of travelof the disks 12 may be Varied, either forwardly or rearwardly asrequired to successively display street or station signs.

While I have particularly described my device to be employed as astation indicator, it is obvious that the same may be employed foradvertising purposes only. In such instances a continuously operatedmotor would be employed to impart motion to the operating cable 23.

In a streetand station indicator, a housing having a semicylindricalbottom with a longitudinal slot therein, a shaft supported in thehousing concentric with said bottom, a'pair of disks radially grooved ontheir in- 'sidefaces, a plurality of cards arranged in said grooves, ahook at each end of each" card, pivoted arms in the path of travel ofsaid hooks, levers for supporting the free ends of said arms, yieldingconnections between the free ends of said levers and said carried by oneof said pair of levers to enarm, a ratchet Wheel, a gear connection begage With said single lever after said, pair tween said ratchet wheeland said disks, a of levers have been partially moved. single leverarranged adjacent one of the In testimony whereof, I have signed my 5pair of levels,- a link carried by said single name to thisspecification, in presence of two 15 lever, a pair of spring held paWlscarried by subscribing Witnesses.

said link for engagement with said ratchet RICHARD E. HORNBECK. Wheel,means whereby either one or both. of Witnesses: i said pawls may beheld-out of operative en- J. C. AYERS,

10 gagement with said ratchet-.Wheel, and means FRED C. SOHRAM Copies ofthis patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing theCommissioner of Patents,

Washington, 1). G.

